Pyrophobia
by Sarge1
Summary: After Eckhart sets a trap for the Mutant X team, Shalimar ends up facing her worst fear, and the team is forced to leave the Mutant X headquarters...PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!!
1. The Trap

Title: Pyrophobia 

Author: Sarge 

E-Mail: Samcwannabe@aol.com 

Rating: PG (For now) 

Summary: After Eckhart sets a trap for the Mutant X team, Shalimar ends up facing her worst fear, and the team is forced to leave the Mutant X headquarters. 

Status: Work in progress. 

Disclaimer: They're not mine(Dangit!!) 

Author's Notes: I really hope you like it. I'm dedicating this story to my "brother" Nathan. You know who you are! You rule, Nate and I love you!! 

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!! Good or bad. 

_____________________________________________________________   
  


"It's all clear," Shalimar announced to her fellow teammates after she finished off the rest of the guards.   
  


"That was quick," Brennan commented as he walked over to her and looked down at the unconscious guards.   
  


"Yeah, I know and it's got me worried," she replied.   
  


"Why?" Jesse asked.   
  


"Because there were only three guards. This is supposed to be a warehouse controlled by Eckhart and he never lacks in security. It just doesn't feel right," she answered as she cautiously glanced around the large building.   
  


"Yeah, you've got a point there. Maybe we should head back to sanctuary and have Adam run a more complete information search on this place," Brennan suggested.   
  


Shalimar shook her head. "No, we're already here. We might as well look the building over, but we should be extra careful."   
  


"Ok. Shal, why don't you and I go check upstairs while Jesse and Emma check down here," Brennan said.   
  


The three nodded in agreement.   
  


"Remember to be careful," Shalimar reminded Jesse and Emma as she followed Brennan up the stairs. She smiled when she got a reply of "Yes Mom" from both of them.   
  


***** 

Adam had sent them to this warehouse because he had gotten reports of there being a computer lab there that was secretly hacking into hospital files around the world so they could find any new mutants that had gone to a hospital for treatment. Although, the reports usually only scratched the surface of what was really going on. 

*****   
  


"I'll check in here," Brennan declared quietly as he walked into a room.   
  


Shalimar merely nodded as she continued her way down the long hallway.   
  


As he crept around the corner, the room opened up into a wider area and in the middle of it sat several computers.   
  


"Adam, I think I found the lab," he said into his comlink.   
  


"Good, now I need you to take that disk I gave you and insert it into the main computer so I can download all the information they've gotten so far from here at sanctuary," Adam replied. "Where is everyone else?" he asked.   
  


"Jesse and Emma are downstairs checking out everything and Shalimar is down the hall from me, going into each room to make sure we don't miss anything," Brennan answered as he took a disk out of his pocket and slid it into the main computer. He quickly hacked into the computer's mainframe and started downloading the information.   
  


It was then that Adam suddenly exclaimed, "Brennan! Stop the download!!"   
  


Hearing the urgency in Adam voice, Brennan immediately attempted to stop the computer, but it wasn't working.   
  


"It's not stopping, Adam! I'm locked out!"   
  


"Then pull the plug on the computer!" he ordered. "No wai..." Adam was suddenly cut off as the comlink connection died.   
  


"Adam?...Adam?!!" Brennan yelled as quickly located the main plug and with a snap of his arm, he pulled it out. He looked over at the computer screen to see that it had numbers on it counting down from 15...14...13...12...   
  


It's a bomb, he immediately thought to himself as he turned on his heel and ran out of the room.   
  


Reaching the hall, he looked down the end of it to see Shalimar walking toward him.   
  


"SHALIMAR! IT'S A BOMB...RUN!!!!!!" he hollered as he watched a look of panic pass over her face, but then saw it quickly fade. With nothing else he could do, he ran the opposite direction from her. 

7...6...5...   
  


Shalimar watched for a second as Brennan ran away from her before she acted. She quickly turned back around and ran.   
  


3...2...1...BOOOOM!!!!   
  


The explosion rocked the whole building.   
  


A stunned Jesse and Emma watched as a large chunk of the wall upstairs was blown away. As the piece came careening towards them, Jesse pushed Emma out of the way and dove on top of her, protecting her from any debris.   
  


Once mostly everything had settled, they looked up to see the building was now on fire.   
  


Fire...FIRE!! Shal is scared to death of fire, Jesse immediately thought to himself as he watched the roaring flames.   
  


"Emma, go outside and wait! I have to go help Shalimar and Brennan," he ordered as he ran toward the stairs.   
  


"JESSE NO! You'll be killed!" Emma said as she ran after him.   
  


"Emma, listen to me. Shalimar is scared to death of fire and she'll need help getting out of here. Now, will you please go wait outside?!!"   
  


Seeing the desperation written across his face, she nodded and then ran out of the building.   
  


Jesse watched to make sure she was outside before he hurried up the stairs.   
  


Shalimar moaned as she came to. Her whole body ached, but nothing compared to her head. It was pounding! Why is it so hot in here? she thought to herself as she sat up, but it was then everything came back to her. A bomb...Brennan yelling...wait a minute, A BOMB!!   
  


She opened her eyes to see that the whole hallway in front of her was engulfed by fire. Her eyes widened as she watched the flames move closer to her. Fire! Oh my God, it's fire! I'm gonna die, I gonna die, she thought as her fear of fire overwhelmed her. Her throat seemed to close and she couldn't breathe. She was getting dizzy. Her heart began to beat so fast that it felt like it was going to explode. As she focused on her fear, all the other pain she was in seemed to dissipate. It was then that she suddenly heard a voice calling out to her.   
  


"Shalimar?!...SHALIMAR?!" It was Brennan. He was standing on the other side of the flames. Then she saw Jesse run up next to him.   
  


"Are you ok?" Jesse asked Brennan as he reached his side.   
  


"Yeah, I'll be fine, but Shalimar isn't moving from where she's sitting and the fire's making its way toward her!" Brennan replied.   
  


"She's afraid," Jesse said as he looked over at Shalimar's frightened face.   
  


"I know. I am too, but she can still make it if she gets up and moves."   
  


"No, she's not just afraid, she's petrified," Brennan gave him a confused look. "She has pyrophobia, the fear of fire. Most ferals have it for some reason. That's why she's not moving. She's scared to death," Jesse finished.   
  


"Oh yeah, I remember her and Adam telling me that once," Brennan said in realization.   
  


"Anyway, we need to get her out of here now or she'll die," Jesse declared as he looked up at the ceiling. The fire consumed wood was about to give way and if they didn't get Shalimar out very soon, it would collapse. If that happened, they'd never get her out.   
  


"SHALIMAR?!" Jesse yelled, but she didn't look at him. She kept on staring at the fire. "SHALIMAR, LOOK AT ME!" he ordered. That caught her attention and she gazed up at him. "Good girl. Now pay attention, Shal. You have to get up and walk towards me."   
  


She shook her head 'no'.   
  


"You have to before this whole place collapses," he said as he covered his nose and mouth with his shirt, trying to make it a little easier to breath.   
  


She shook her head again, saying, "I can't!"   
  


"Yes, you can Shalimar. Just stand up and walk towards me," Jesse replied. He could see that tears were beginning to stream down her face.   
  


"I can't, I can't, I can't," she kept mumbling as she looked away from Jesse and back at the fire.   
  


Jesse glanced over a Brennan, saying, "She's not going to move. I'll have to go over there and get her."   
  


"No Jesse, I'll go." He stopped Jesse from protesting by raising his hand and saying, "Look, you might need to carry her out of here and I'm bigger than you. It will be easier for me to do that. Now, will you just let me go, please?"   
  


Jesse nodded, "Ok fine."   
  


Brennan shot Jesse a grin before he back up and then suddenly took off, jumping through the fire. Reaching the other side, he rushed over to Shalimar and kneeled down beside her. "Shal, look at me." When she finally did, he continued, "We have to get out of here, but I'm going to need your help, ok?"   
  


"I can't, Brennan. I can't," she answered as she shook her head back and forth.   
  


Brennan stopped her from shaking her head again by placing his hands on either sides of her face. Looking intently into her eyes, he said, "You have to. Now, listen to me. There is only one way out and it's through that fire. If we don't go now, this place is going to collapse and we'll die. Now, I need you to get up and go through it with me."   
  


She still kept saying, "I can't."   
  


"Shalimar PLEASE?!!!!" he asked desperately.   
  


"I'm sorry Brennan, but I just can't. Go without me," she replied.   
  


"Like hell I will!" Brennan exclaimed.   
  


She looked up at him, tears still streaming down her face. "I..I just can't go through it, Brennan. Now, either you leave me here or you're going to have to knock me out because there's just no way I can go through that. I'm sorry. I can't."   
  


Seeing that he wasn't going to be able to convince her, he decided to go with her suggestion.   
  


"I'm sorry, Shal," he said.   
  


"For what?" Shalimar asked.   
  


"For this!" he replied as he pulled back his arm and then sent his fist careening into her face, immediately knocking her out. She's going to kill me when she wakes up, he thought to himself as he picked Shalimar up and headed back towards the fire. With a burst of energy, he jumped back through the roaring flames.   
  


"You knocked her out?!" Jesse exclaimed.   
  


Brennan shrugged. "She wouldn't listen," he answered as they both took off down the hall.   
  


Jesse glanced over his shoulder to see the ceiling, where they had been, collapse as the fire continued to consume everything in its tracks.   
  


Emma paced anxiously outside waiting for the others to come out. She was just about to go back in to see what had happened when she saw heard coughing and then out of the smoke, she saw them emerge. Immediately she rushed over, asking, "Is everyone ok?!"   
  


"Well, other than Brennan knocking out Shalimar, I think we're all in pretty good shape," Jesse replied as they all walked over to the car.   
  


"You did what, Brennan?"   
  


"Shal was freaking out and she wouldn't listen Jesse or me, so I did as she asked," Brennan answered.   
  


"She asked you to knock her out?" Emma questioned in an unbelieving tone as they all go into the car. Jesse got in the driver's seat and Emma took the front passenger seat while Brennan laid Shalimar down in the back with him.   
  


"In a way, yes. She said, and I quote, 'Now, either you leave me here or you're going to have knock me out because there's no way I can go through that.' She was of course talking about the fire that had engulfed the hallway in front of us," he said as he gently placed Shalimar's head in his lap and then brushed an errant strand of blonde hair out of her face.   
  


"And you actually took her literally?" Emma quipped as she glanced back at Brennan who merely shrugged.   
  


"So, you want to tell us exactly what happened?" Jesse asked.   
  


"Well, after Shal and I went upstairs, we started checking each room to see if we can find the lab. So, when we came to about the seventh door or so, I told Shalimar that I would check it out while she continued on down the hall. After she agreed, I went into the room and found several computers. I thought it was the lab so I contacted Adam over the comlink and explained to him what I had found. He told me to insert the disk, that he had given us, into the main computer and then start the download process. I did exactly as he said, but that's when he suddenly told me to stop the download. I tried to, but I had been locked out of the system. When I told Adam that, he said to unplug the computer, but in the middle of his sentence the comlink went dead. So, not knowing what to do, I did as Adam had told me. I pulled the plug, but when I looked back up at the computer screen, there were numbers on it counting down from fifteen. I kinda figured that a bomb so I ran out into the hall and told Shalimar to run. I knew if a ran in her direction, neither of us would of made it far enough from the blast to come out of it relatively unscathed, so I took off in the opposite direction of her. That's when the bomb went off. After the initial..boom, I went back to find Shalimar and you know the rest from there, Jesse," Brennan explained.   
  


"Yeah, but I don't," Emma said. "What happened after that?"   
  


Jesse cut in before Brennan could continue. "Well Emma, after you went outside, I ran up the stairs and down the hall. That's when I found Brennan standing next to the fire. When I looked past him, I saw Shalimar sitting on the ground on the other side of the flames, but she refused to move. She was paralyzed with fear."   
  


Hearing that, Emma suddenly nodded her head. "She has pyrophobia, doesn't she?"   
  


"Yeah," Jesse replied.   
  


"I completely forgot about that," she said.   
  


"Well anyway, Brennan and I knew that she wasn't going to move so decided that one of us would have to go over there and get her. We decided that Brennan would go get her. So, he jumped through the fire and went over to her," Jesse explained.   
  


"That's when I tried to convince her to come through the fire with me, but she just kept on saying, 'I can't, I can't.' That's when she... 'suggested' that I knock her out. So, I did. Then I picked her up, jumped back through the fire, and...here we are now, " Brennan said.   
  


"You know she's going to kill you when she wakes up, right?" Jesse joked as he grinned.   
  


Brennan let out a sigh and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I know."   
  


TO BE CONTINUED...   
  


(I hope ya liked it. PLEASE REVIEW...A LOT!!!!!!!!!!!)   
  
  
  



	2. Leaving

Title: Pyrophobia 

Author: Sarge 

______________________________________________________________________________   
  


When they got back to sanctuary, they found that whole place was pitch black. Everything that was electrical was out.   
  


"Adam?!" Jesse called into the blackness and the rest of the team followed him in.   
  


"I'm here, Jesse," they heard Adam reply just before they saw a flashlight beam flash in front of them.   
  


"Adam, what's going on? Why are all the lights out?" Emma asked as Adam walked over to them.   
  


"Eckhart set a trap and this was the outcome," he answered as he gestured to darkness with the flashlight. "You see, when Brennan put the disk into the computer and I started downloading the information, a virus was sent here and it fried everything electrical. That's why all the lights are out."   
  


"Yeah, well that wasn't the only outcome," Jesse said.   
  


"What do you mean?" Adam questioned.   
  


Before Jesse could reply, Brennan cut in. "We'll tell you all about it in a minute, but right now, I need to put Shalimar down before my arms fall off. She's really not as light as she looks."   
  


"Shalimar?!" Adam exclaimed as he shined the flashlight on the two. "What happened to her?" he asked as he felt her pulse.   
  


"Brennan knocked her out," Jesse quickly replied before Brennan could even open his mouth to answer.   
  


"What?!"   
  


"It's kind of a long story and I'll tell you all about it once I've put her down," Brennan answered.   
  


"Ok. Well, bring her to the lab. None of the electrical equipment is working, but I do have regular medical supplies up there as well," Adam said as they all followed him to the lab.   
  


Once inside, Brennan gently placed Shalimar down and then backed away, stretching out his arms.   
  


"Jesse," Adam said "behind you there should be a first aid kit. Will you hand it to me?"   
  


Jesse nodded as he turned around and located the first aid kit. Pulling it off the shelf, he handed it to Adam. He then took the flashlight out of Adam's hand and held it up so he could work on Shalimar.   
  


Taking out a gauze pad, Adam gently placed it on a bleeding cut right below Shalimar's hairline.   
  


It was then that Shalimar suddenly moaned and her eyes fluttered open.   
  


"Shalimar?" Adam questioned.   
  


"Adam?" she replied weakly. "Where are we?"   
  


"Sanctuary."   
  


"Why are the lights out?" she asked.   
  


"I'll tell you everything later, but right now, I want you to follow my finger with your eyes," said as he waved his finger in front of her face, but Shalimar was having trouble following it. "Do you have a headache?"Adam asked her.   
  


"Yeah," she replied.   
  


"Are you having a hard time concentrating or focusing?"   
  


She nodded, "Uh huh."   
  


"Do you feel nauseous at all?"he questioned.   
  


"Yeah, a little. Why?"   
  


"Well, they're all just signs of a concussion," Adam answered.   
  


"Did I do that to her?" Brennan asked in concern.   
  


"I'm not sure. You would of had to hit her extremely hard, but you never know," he told Brennan before turning back to Shalimar. "Now, tell me what else hurts," he ordered gently as he continued to wiped away the blood that was seeping out of the cut at her hairline.   
  


"Well, my whole body feels like it's been run over my a truck, but my head, ribs, and ankle hurt the most," she answered.   
  


"Ok, well I give you something for the pain in a minute, but right now I really think we should get out of here and maybe go to one of the safe houses."   
  


"Why?" Emma asked.   
  


"Because we don't know if Eckhart tracked us or not when the virus was sent here. I think the best thing to do would be to leave until I'm absolutely sure it's safe," Adam replied.   
  


When they all nodded in agreement, Adam continued by saying, "Good. Now, why don't you all go grab some clothes and whatever else you need. Then meet in the Double Helix."   
  


"Ok," Jesse said.   
  


"I'll grab your stuff too," Emma told Shalimar before she, Jesse, and Brennan walked toward the door.   
  


"You all might want to take a flashlight or two with you," Adam called after them.   
  


"Good idea," Jesse stated as he opened a cabinet and grabbed two flashlights. Handing one to Emma, the three of them left the lab to go get their stuff.   
  


Once they were gone, Adam packed up the medical supplies and then turned back to Shalimar saying, "Now, how about we get you to the Double Helix."   
  


Shalimar nodded, replying, "Ok, but I want to walk."   
  


Adam shook his head. "I don't think so. We have no idea how badly you're actually hurt and I don't want you to injure yourself anymore by walking. Just let me carry you please?"   
  


Shalimar glared at him for a second before letting out a huff and nodding her head. "Fine."   
  


"Good," Adam said with a small smile as he scooped her up in his arms and walked out of the lab.   
  


Once in the Double Helix, Adam finally got a good look at Shalimar. She had several cuts on her face along with a bruise that was forming on her cheek bone, undoubtedly the handy work of Brennan. Lifting up her shirt, he noticed that her ribs were bruising as well.   
  


"Which ankle hurts?" he questioned as he moved down toward her feet.   
  


"My right one," she answered.   
  


Nodding, Adam took her foot into his hands and then looked up at Shalimar, saying, "This might hurt." Then gently, he pulled off her boot, but not without a small squeak of pain from Shalimar.   
  


"Sorry," he apologized as he began to examine her ankle. It was swelling and starting to bruise, obvious signs of a sprain.   
  


"So, what's the overall diagnosis?" Shalimar asked as she watched him go through the medical supplies as if looking for something.   
  


"Well, it seems that you have a concussion, a few cuts and bruises. A sprained ankle and maybe a fractured rib, but I can't really tell without a scan. Other than that, you're good to go."   
  


"How nice," Shalimar grumbled as Adam walked over and handed her an ice pack.   
  


"It's for your face," he said as he took two more ice packs, placed them on the sides of her ankle and then wrapped medical tape around them so they wouldn't fall off.   
  


Shalimar winced as the coldness of the ice touched her skin. Then with a sigh, she gingerly held the ice pack Adam had handed her on the bruise that was forming on her cheekbone.   
  


It was then that the other two guys walked in.   
  


"I'm going to go grab my things really quick and then we can leave," Adam said as he stood up and made his way out of the Double Helix, flashlight in hand.   
  


"So, how ya doin', Shal?" Jesse asked as he sat down in one of the chairs next to her.   
  


"I'll be fine...eventually," she muttered as she took the cold ice pack off her face.   
  


Brennan inwardly winced when he saw the bruise he had made. "Sorry..again for that," he said to Shalimar as he indicated to her face.   
  


Shalimar glared at him for a second before a sly grin lit up her face. "Yeah, whatever Brennan. Just wait, you'll get yours very soon," she replied as she menacingly flashed her feral eyes at him.   
  


Brennan gulped. "Yeah, I'm sure I will."   
  


"Well, I suggest you hit the gym a lot if you want to be ready to take her on when she's better," Jesse quipped with a small laugh.   
  


"Yeah, either that or I'll have to carry a flame thrower with me everywhere I go," Brennan said with a smile, but he immediately regretted it when glanced over at Shalimar to see her brow furrow slightly and tears spring up in her eyes.   
  


"Oh Shal, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I was just playing," he quickly apologized as he sat down in a seat next to her.   
  


"Whatever Brennan," was all she said as she wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes.   
  


Jesse glared at Brennan just as Adam and Emma walked in.   
  


Adam stopped to look at the scene before him. Jesse was sending death glares toward Brennan and Shalimar was wiping her eyes as if she had been crying.   
  


"Is everything ok in here?" Adam asked in suspicion.   
  


"Yeah, everything's fine, Adam," Shalimar quickly replied. "Can we just go now?"   
  


Adam nodded and sat down at the Double Helix's controls. Soon they were off to one of the safe houses.   
  


TO BE CONTINUED...   
  


(More is coming soon. PLEASE REVIEW!!!)   
  



	3. God, I love her.

Title: Pyrophobia 

Author: Sarge 

____________________________________________________________________________   
  


While flying to the safe house, Jesse and Brennan took the liberty of informing Adam what had happened at the warehouse. When they got to the part about the fire, Brennan immediately noticed that Shalimar seemed to get a blank look on her face. He thought about saying something to her, but decided against it. She was already upset with him and he didn't want to make it worse by putting her on the spot in front of everyone. He knew that she hated to be seen as weak.   
  


Adam also noticed the distant look Shalimar got when they talked about the fire.   
  


"So, that's when Brennan knocked her out, picked her up, and jumped back through the fire," Jesse explained to Adam as he glanced over to see Shalimar starting to doze off in her seat.   
  


"I see," was Adam's reply.   
  


"After that, I think you can pretty much figure out what happened," Jesse finished.   
  


Adam nodded. "Yeah."   
  


Jesse looked back over to see the Shalimar had finally fallen asleep. Moving closer to Adam, he quietly whispered, "Do you think someone should talk to her about it?"   
  


"I'm not sure. Probably, but right now what I think she needs is space to work everything out. When she does that, I think that would be the best time to talk to her. We don't want to pressure her. That could only make it worse," Adam replied.   
  


Jesse nodded his head. "Yeah ok. It's just..I've never seen her freeze like that. I mean, I knew she was scared of fire, but I never really realized how bad that fear actually was. I guess I'm just worried about her, but I can't help it."   
  


"I know, Jesse. We're all worried about her. Just give her time," Adam said just before announcing, "We're here."   
  


Cloaking the Double Helix, he set it down on the roof of the building.   
  


"Alright, let's go in and settle down. There's no telling how long we'll be here," Adam said as looked over at Shalimar to see her still sound asleep. Deciding not to wake her, he quickly handed Jesse the medical supplies and his bag of things.   
  


"Will you take these inside? I'm going to get Shalimar," Adam stated.   
  


"Ok," Jesse replied as he followed Brennan and Emma out of the Double Helix.   
  


Adam walked over to Shalimar and gently picked her up into his arms. She stirred a little bit, but didn't wake. Going into the safe house, he carefully walked down the stairs and placed Shalimar on the couch.   
  


"I set her bed up in our room if you want to bring her in there," Emma told Adam quietly.   
  


"No, it's alright. She can sleep on the couch. I want to keep an eye on her tonight. You know, to make sure there aren't any complications with her injuries," he replied.   
  


"Oh ok. Well, I'll go grab her blanket then," she said as she turned around and walked down the hallway to the bedrooms. 

The safe house consisted of three bedrooms, one bathroom, a small kitchen, and a living room. It wasn't very big, but it was just enough for them. Each of the bedrooms had a clothes closet, a dresser, a TV, and two beds.   
  


Jesse and Brennan took the first room down the hall. The next room was Emma and Shalimar's. Then there was the bathroom and finally Adam's room. 

Emma returned a minute later with an armful of blankets and pillows. She gently lifted Shalimar's head and placed a pillow underneath it, while Adam draped a blanket over her. Then he took one of the couch's pillows and placed it under Shalimar's sprained ankle. Standing up, Adam looked at the sleeping blonde and smiled.   
  


"Well, I'm going to go to bed as well," Emma stated as she attempted to stifle a yawn.   
  


"Ok, goodnight," Adam replied.   
  


"Goodnight, Adam."   
  


He watched as Emma made her way down the hallway to her and Shalimar's room. A few seconds later he heard a soft banter of what sounded like the two guys fighting over the bathroom. Then as he heard, what he presumed to be, the bathroom door shut, he saw Jesse walk into the room.   
  


"Is there a problem with you and Brennan?" Adam asked.   
  


"No, no. He just wanted the bathroom first, so I let him have it," Jesse answered.   
  


"He threatened to zap you with a bolt of electricity, didn't he?" Adam quipped.   
  


Jesse shook his head 'no', but when Adam gave him an unbelieving look, he reluctantly nodded and then said, "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I came out here to tell you goodnight."   
  


Adam smiled and patted Jesse on the back, saying, "Goodnight, Jesse."   
  


Adam sat down in a chair next to the couch and watched Jesse as he wandered back down the hall. He glanced over at the clock to see that it was already 1:42 AM. Sighing, he settled down into the chair and began to doze off. Soon he was fast asleep.   
  


Sometime around 2:15 AM, Brennan walked into the livingroom. He had come out to say goodnight, but when he saw that Adam was asleep, he decided against it. Wandering into the kitchen, he took a cup out of the cabinet and quietly filled it with water. Taking a sip, he was suddenly startled by a sound from the livingroom. Quickly, he walked out there to see Shalimar thrashing around in her sleep.   
  


Beads of sweat littered her body and her breathing was erratic. She was calling out something, but what she was saying it too low for Brennan to hear. That was until he moved closer.   
  


She was mumbling, "Fire!...No, no, no..stay away!!"   
  


Brennan's eyes grew wide as he listened to her. Kneeling down beside her, he took her by her shoulders and gently shook her, saying, "Shalimar, wake up. It's only a dream, Shal...Come on, wake up!"   
  


With a sudden gasp, Shalimar simultaneously sat up and snapped open her eyes.   
  


"Oh God," she whimpered as tears began to cascade down her face.   
  


Immediately, Brennan stood up and then sat down on the couch next to her. Pulling her into his arms, he rocked her gently and whispered soothing words into her ear.   
  


It was then that Adam suddenly woke up to the sound of crying. He looked over to see Shalimar sobbing into Brennan's chest while Brennan held her tightly, gently rocking her.   
  


Brennan glanced over at Adam and mouthed 'nightmare' to him. Adam nodded in acknowledgment and then he mouthed 'Do you need help with her?' back to Brennan as he pointed to Shalimar. Brennan shook his head, silently replying, 'No, I've got her'. Adam nodded again and then pointed to the hall. 'I'll be in my bedroom' he once again silently mouthed. Brennan gestured his understanding with a nod then watched as Adam silently stood up and walked down the hall to his bedroom.   
  


Looking down at Shalimar, he noticed that she wasn't crying anymore. She was just sitting there with she head on Brennan's chest, staring at the wall across the room.   
  


"You ok, Shal?" he quietly asked.   
  


Gazing up at Brennan, she shook her head slightly before, whispering, "I can't stop thinking about it, Brennan."   
  


"What?"   
  


"The..the fire," she replied as tears welled back up in her eyes. "I thought...I thought I was going to die."   
  


"But you didn't. You're here right now. Alive and...semi-well," Brennan said, making Shalimar smile slightly as she sat back, looking him in the face.   
  


The smile quickly dissipated as she continued on by saying, "But I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you. I would of sat there until the building collapsed on top of me. I let my fear take control and it nearly got me killed."   
  


"Shalimar..." Brennan started, but he was interrupted before he could say anything more.   
  


"No Brennan. It's not just that I almost got myself killed, I endangered your life too, along with Jesse's. I could of gotten you both killed," she said as she took a deep breath. "I mean, if that were to ever happen, I...I don't know what I'd do," she finished as tears began to trickle back down her face.   
  


"Oh Shal," Brennan said as he pulled her back into his arms and hugged her tightly. "It's ok. We're safe. You're safe. Everything is fine."   
  


Brennan held Shalimar until her tears finally subsided. Attempting to stifle a yawn, she looked up at Brennan and gave him a small smile.   
  


"Are you tired?" he asked her.   
  


Shalimar nodded. "Yeah, a little," she replied.   
  


"Same here," Brennan said.   
  


"You should go to bed then."   
  


"What about you?"   
  


"I'm going to stay here because one, I can't walk very well with this ankle and two, I don't want to wake up Emma," Shalimar answered.   
  


Brennan grinned as he asked, "Well, do you mind if I stay here with you?"   
  


Shalimar gave him a strange look before he quickly added, "I don't want to wake up Jesse either."   
  


Shalimar nodded and smiled as she replied, "Yeah, I'd love it if you'd stay."   
  


"Ok, good," Brennan said as he gave her another grin and then slid behind her. Wrapping his arms back around her waist, he pulled her close as they both got under the blanket and laid down. Shalimar was against the back of the couch while Brennan was near the edge.   
  


With a sigh of contentment, Shalimar laid her head down on Brennan's chest and snuggled in closer.   
  


"Goodnight Shal," Brennan whispered.   
  


"'Night Brennan," she whispered back as she fell asleep.   
  


Brennan watched as the blonde in his arms slept. Gently kissing her on the top of her head, he closed his eyes and as he began to doze off, the last thought he had before he fell asleep was God, I love her.   
  


TO BE CONTINUED   
  


******* 

A/N: 

Sorry Jesse/Shalimar fans, but it looks like this story is going to Brennan and Shal. I plan to write more very soon, but at the moment, I've got some major writer's block. Any suggestions for upcoming chapters would be greatly appreciated or just tell me what you would like to see happen. If you decide to help me out, write your suggestion as a review or send to me by e-mail at Shalimarfox2@aol.com. THANK YOU!!! 


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